Dana Monroe

Smith's casting was announced on 28 March 2021, when it was confirmed that she would be guest starring as a love interest for established character Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell). Smith said that she was attracted to playing Dana since she is a smiley and bubbly character, describing her as the "innocent wholesome version of the girl next door". She was initially contracted for six months. Smith noted her happiness at having been cast due to having been a long-term viewer of the soap; she described the moment she was told as "a moment [she will] remember for a long time". Smith had appeared in EastEnders prior to portraying Dana, when she played Ellie in 2019, a school student who gives Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield) drugs. However, the role was filmed on-location, and Smith had therefore not been on the set of EastEnders until 2021. When she arrived on set, Smith felt as though she was stepping into her television and said it was a moment where she had to pinch herself. She noted her "obsession" with the soap as a child and particularly noted her adoration for cast member Lacey Turner. Smith said that she is fairly similar to her character, specifically due to sharing a love for books and films. Dana gets a job as a waitress, which Smith liked since she felt it made Dana more "rooted in reality" due to many 19-year-olds having waitressing jobs. She had worked as a waitress in real life prior to portraying Dana and said that the restaurant scenes reminded her of her times as a waitress. ==Development==

Introduction Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) makes it her mission to find love for Bobby and introduces him to Dana, setting the pair up on a date that aired on 1 April 2021. However, as Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) destroys his confidence prior to the date, the Metros Stephen Patterson wrote that this could affect Dana's date. Bobby introduces himself as 'Rob' on the date and tells Dana that he is the owner of Walford East, his family's restaurant, as well as owning his own house. After continuing to lie about his identity, Bobby eventually becomes worried about their relationship when Dana announces that she wants to get more serious within their relationship. Smith was initially nervous to film romantic scenes with Russell, particularly when COVID-19 restrictions meant that they could not touch. This meant that Smith had to get it across that her character was interested in Bobby without touching him, which she found challenging. She was also nervous when they were able to kiss, but since Russell was nervous too, they formed a "we're in this together" mindset to allow them to do it. After Dana and Bobby have sex, he reveals to Dana that years ago, he murdered his older sister Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) and the truth about his prison life. She is disgusted by what he has done and how he has lied, telling him their relationship is over. Digital Spy's Susannah Alexander wrote that Dana may have "been put off him for good after his revelations", hinting the end of their relationship. Bobby's half-brother, Peter Beale (Dayle Hudson), secretly contacts Dana and asks her to give Bobby another chance. While no there was no prior confirmation on if she would continue their relationship, the Radio Times predicted that the pair would reconcile. The pair eventually reconcile and initially decide against telling Harvey about Bobby's past. Actress Smith said that the decision to lie to her father causes Dana anxiety since she is close to Harvey and has never lied to him. She explained: "She's not a typical teenager that goes out to parties or sneaks out. She's never had a boyfriend before, it's all very new to her so she's worried about Harvey finding out." Sen added that the siblings are the opposite to each other in terms of personality. A helpless Bobby watches on and is later "consumed with his own guilt" for not being able to prevent the attack. Dana becomes unsure about the future of their relationship due to his lack of action in the attack, and in an attempt to fix their relationship, Bobby tries to persuade Harvey that he would be a supportive boyfriend. Harvey tells Dana that she needs to forget about Bobby and go to university in Glasgow, which she is upset about. Dana is angry about him going to Harvey rather than her personally, and in "heartbreaking" scenes, Dana dumps Bobby. Dana tells Bobby: "I've spent my life having him make my decisions for me. I'm not going to spend my life with another man who thinks he can do the exact same thing. We're done." When Harvey makes a racist comment to Ash Kaur (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha), Dana pushes him to apologise to Ash. However, Aaron is furious with her for not sticking by their father, telling Dana to "keep [her] mouth shut". Wernham hinted that when his "controversial" character finds out that Dana is dating a Muslim, he would "have an opinion on whether he's good enough for her". EastEnders announced that Aaron's storyline would explore issues of racism and religious hatred and that Dana could be affected by a bombing he is involved in. After Aaron is arrested for trying to bomb the Albert and Bobby dumps Dana, Dana and Harvey plan to leave Walford, despite Dana believing that she could be pregnant. Bobby discovers of her potential pregnancy and proposes to her, to which she says no and confirms that she is not pregnant. Kathy sees the proposal and exposes the Monroes in front of a crowd for having a terrorist in their family. Smith enjoyed the storyline as she felt is developed Dana as a character aside from being Bobby's love interest and appreciated being able to see more of her character. She also hoped that Dana and Bobby's angst had come to an end since she liked the pairing. However, Smith appreciated that the couple were normal and that teenagers could relate to their relationship since under all of the hardships, "they're two teenagers very much in love". Since she feels she has "less to lose", she longs for an exciting fling. Peter and Dana bond over their life issues, and she leans in for a kiss, which he rejects. Smith said that the rejection is a shock for Dana and that it would lead to awkwardness between the pair, specifically because Dana has no friends so she has to see him every day afterwards. She admitted that she wants a showdown between the brothers over the moment, since she felt it would be "quintessentially EastEnders". Days after news broke about her axing, Smith promised that her character would be given a fitting ending. She was excited to film her final scenes as Dana since she gets "the send-off that she deserves" and acknowledged that it was time for Dana to "spread her wings". Smith admitted that it made sense for her to be axed since Dana was of the age to leave her family home. She also confirmed that she would return to EastEnders in the future if asked, especially since Harvey would remain on the series, meaning a potential return would be possible. ==Reception==

Susan Knox of the Daily Mirror described Dana as a "brunette beauty" and noted that Smith is a talented actress. Knox added that Dana and Bobby's relationship "has kept fans gripped" and felt that it would continue to do so in forthcoming scenes. Viewers were "happy to witness some normality again", since the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television meant that cast members on the soap had to socially distance. Smith was also nominated in the newcomer categories at the 2021 I Talk Telly Awards and Digital Spy Reader Awards for her portrayal of Dana. Viewers were horrified by Dana's attack from the Islamophobic gang, with many Tweeting that the attack was too violent and hoping that Dana would be okay. OK! magazine wrote that Dana "lights up screens" and that she has proved popular with viewers. Metros Duncan Lindsay said that it is not common a soap character is genuinely nice and has no ulterior motives so Dana is a "breath of fresh air" for EastEnders. Smith told the magazine that she was surprised to have such a positive reaction to the couple. ==References==